Code
AMACH
Growth form
broadleaf
Biological cycle
annual
Habitatterrestrial
synonym | Amaranthus aureus Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus batalleri Sennen |
synonym | Amaranthus bellardii Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus berchtholdii Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus catechu Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus chlorostachys var. hybridus (L.) S.Watson |
synonym | Amaranthus chlorostachys Willd. |
synonym | Amaranthus cruentus L. |
synonym | Amaranthus cruentus var. patulus (Bertol.) Lambinon |
synonym | Amaranthus eugenii Sennen |
synonym | Amaranthus flavescens Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus hecticus Willd. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus f. aciculatus Thell. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus subsp. cruentus (L.) Thell. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus subsp. hybridus |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus subsp. incurvatus (Trimen ex Gren. & Gord.) Brenan |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus subsp. patulus (Bertol.) Carretero |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus subsp. quitensis (Kunth) Costea & Carretero |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. batalleri (Sennen) Carretero |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. bellardii Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. chlorostachys (Willd.) Beck |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. densus Farw. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. hecticus (Willd.) Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. laetus (Willd.) Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. patulus (Bertol.) Thell. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. prostratus Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. rubricaulis Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus hybridus var. sanguineus (L.) Farw. |
synonym | Amaranthus incurvatus Gren. & Godr. |
synonym | Amaranthus incurvatus Trimen ex Gren. & Gord. |
synonym | Amaranthus intermedius Guss. ex Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus laetus Willd. |
synonym | Amaranthus laxiflorus Comelli ex Pollini |
synonym | Amaranthus neglectus Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus nepalensis Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus paniculatus L. |
synonym | Amaranthus paniculatus var. sanguineus Regel |
synonym | Amaranthus patulus Bertol. |
synonym | Amaranthus patulus f. multispiculatus (Sennen) Priszter |
synonym | Amaranthus pseudoretroflexus (Thell.) Almq. |
synonym | Amaranthus quitensis Kunth |
synonym | Amaranthus retroflexus var. chlorostachys (Willd.) A.Gray |
synonym | Amaranthus retroflexus var. hybridus (L.) A.Gray |
synonym | Amaranthus spicatus Rchb. |
synonym | Amaranthus timeroyi Jord. ex Moq. |
synonym | Amaranthus trivialis Rota |
synonym | Galliaria hybrida (L.) Nieuwl. |
synonym | Galliaria patula Bubani |
Afrikaans |
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Anglais / English |
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Chinese |
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Comorian |
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English |
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French |
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Malagasy |
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Other |
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Portuguese |
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Sotho |
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Spanish; Castilian |
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Tswana |
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Xhosa |
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Zulu |
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Amaranthus hybridus is a large, erect, annual herb, reaching up to 2-3 m, reddish, frequently tinged throughout. The stems are longitudinally grooved or ridged, and usually slightly hairy. The leaves are simple and alternate, with a grooved petiole. They are ovate or elliptic-ovate, smooth or slightly undulate along the margin, and pubescent or hairless. The lower side of each leaf has elevated pinnate veins. The petioles are quite long, causing the leaves to droop downward somewhat. The inflorescences are elongated panicle of spikes or simple spikes with small reddish flowers. They are borne at the tip of the stem and in the axils of the leaves. The individual spikes have a bristly appearance because of the linear bracts surrounding the flowers. Small male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers are found on the same plant. Each flower has five pink sepals and no petals. The fruit is a one-seeded bladder-like membrane (utricle) that splits apart to release the seed. The small seeds, produced in abundance, are flattened, dark brown or black, circular, and shiny.
Cotyledons 5-8 x 1.5-2 mm, long and slender petioles or the cotyledon base very attenuated in petiole.
First pair of true leaves +/- ovate, apex retuse and apiculate, base cuneate or attenuate. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves +/- ovate, apex obtuse, slightly emarginate and aristate, base attenuate. Petioles long and slender. Stem clothed in tortuous pale coloured hairs.
Herb 1-2 (-3) m tall
Taproot, short and stout.
Stems often tinged reddish, erect, occasionally ascending, branched, striate, glabrous to moderately pubescent with multicellular hairs.
Leaves lanceolate to ovate or rhomboid, blades 3-19 (-30) cm long, 1.5-8 (-12) cm wide, apex acute to obtuse, with mucronate, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin entire; lower surface glabrous or sparsely pilose along the margin and veins; lateral veins often pink or red, looping inside the blade margin; petioles 0.5-15 cm long, grooved on the upper surface.
Flowers in yellowish, green, reddish or purple axillary and terminal spikes formed of cymose clusters, which are increasingly closely approximate upwards, the terminal inflorescence varying from a single spike to a broad much-branched panicle up to more or less 45 x 25 cm, the ultimate spike not infrequently nodding; male and female flowers intermixed throughout the spikes.
Flowers yellowish green, reddish, or purple. Each flower subtended by a bract which is longer than the flower. Tepals rather papery, tapering to a fine point at the apex. Male flowers: Flowers about 2 mm long, tepals about 1-1.5 mm long. Anthers about 0.8 mm long. Female flowers: Flowers about 2 mm long. Ovary, styles and stigma about 2 mm long. Ovary laterally compressed, the 'equator' marked by a line. Stigmas three, clothed in glandular hairs.
Utricles obovoid or elongate-ovoid, 1.5-2.5 mm, shorter than tepals, smooth proximally, lid verrucose or rugose, dehiscence regularly circumscissile, or rarely in some presumably hybrid forms, irregularly dehiscent or indehiscent.
Seeds black to dark reddish brown, lenticular to lenticular-globose, 1-1.3 mm, smooth, shiny, faintly reticulate around the margin. Embryo U-shaped, just inside the testa and surrounding or enclosing the endosperm.
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
China: Amaranthus hybridus flowers from July to August and fruits from September to October.
Morocco: Amaranthus hybridus flowers and fruits from May to November.
Mayotte: Amaranthus hybridus flowers and fruits all the year round.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Usually much taller than other species of Amaranthus, but closely related to the ornamental varieties as well as those grown as grain crops in parts of Africa. A. retroflexus is differentiated from A. hybridus by its highly furrowed and hairy stem whilst A. hybridus is smooth and almost glabrous. These two species and their hybrids are often associated in the same stands.
Prostrate growth habit | A. blitum | |||
Erect growth habit | a pair of spines at the axils of leaves | A. spinosus | ||
no spines | leaves 10 to 20 cm long | A. hybridus | ||
leaves 10 cm long | flowers with 3 tepals | A. viridis | ||
flowers with 5 tepals | A. dubius |
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Amaranthus hybridus grows in disturbed ground and as a weed of cultivated land.
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Host of pests and diseases
Amaranthus hybridus is a major host of the pathogen Choanephora cucurbitarum (cucurbit and bean rot); and of the pests Heterodera schachtii (beet nematode); Hypolixus truncatulus (amaranth stem weevil, used as a biological control agent against Amaranthus spinosus in Thailand). It is also a host for the pathogens Colletotrichum dematium (flax anthracnose); Colletotrichum truncatum (soybean anthracnose); Turnip mosaic virus (cabbage mosaic virus A); Fusarium oxysporum (basal rot); Iris yellow spot virus; nematodes Pratylenchus zeae (maize root lesion nematode); Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot nematode); pests Spodoptera eridania (southern armyworm); Aphis craccivora (peanut aphid); Chrysodeixis eriosoma (green looper caterpillar); Bemisia tabaci (MEAM1) (tobacco whitefly); Chrysodeixis includens (soybean looper); Diabrotica speciosa (cucurbit beetle); Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (western corn rootworm); Epiphyas postvittana (light brown apple moth); Nezara viridula (green bug); Thrips tabaci (onion thrips).
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Amaranthus hybridus is native to America.
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Weed of crops. Competes strongly for available moisture, light and nutrients.
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Global harmfulness
Amaranthus hydridus is a weed of crops with which it competes strongly for available moisture, light and nutrients.
Local harmfulness
Comoros: In the courtyards of houses in the village streets; it is not yet present in the fields of plantations, even those of low altitude.
Madagascar: It is a weed of relatively low frequency and often scarce. It can locally form a dense population in poorly maintained maize cultivation or slash and burn. A. hydridus is an early species and relatively easy to control with conventional control methods such as manual weeding and herbicides against broadleaf weeds.
Mauritius: It is very rare in cultures, so its aggressiveness is very low.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Ornamental: Grown in the tropics as an ornamental.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Amaranthus%2520hybridus
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Caryophyllales |
Family | Amaranthaceae |
Genus | Amaranthus |
Species | Amaranthus hybridus L. |